Trades funding cut short-sighted

"Schools are now being financially penalised for enrolling students in trades academies. They could lose teachers and school management positions as a result. It’s a huge disincentive.

"These funding cuts also ignore the fact that the schools still have an ongoing relationship with students participating in trades academies, with many returning to regular school enrolment.

"This is another incredibly short-sighted decision by the National Government. They’re so focussed on a narrow range of targets they’re missing the big picture.

"Labour wants to see schools focussed on ensuring that every student is on a meaningful learning pathway that will lead to future employment or further study. National just wants them to pass tests, even if they don’t lead anywhere" Chris Hipkins says.